“Am I supposed to act happy that you’re sleeping with the enemy?”

“He’s not the enemy.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am, actually,” I say, pushing past her and walking into the room, but Jayla matches my pace. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?” Jayla asks, sliding into her seat beside me at the lab table. “Because from here it seems like you’re totally wrapped up in another kid who’s just taking advantage of you. It’s like you’re genetically programmed not to see when people are bad for you.”

“That’s not Ridley,” I say, more firmly this time. “You don’t understand.”

“Help me understand, then,” she says, pulling out her notebook. Nikki settles into the table behind us, leaning forward to hear my response.

“It’s not my place to tell you,” I say, but I know it’s not helping my case. “Look, he’s not spying, and he had a reason for not coming clean.”

Jayla uncaps her pen, shaking her head. “I’m sure. Just like Dakota had a good reason for hooking up with another girl while you were at your cello lesson.”

“That’s not fair. This isn’t the same thing at all.”

“You stayed with him for another month after that happened, Jubi!” she says just as the bell rings. Mr. Lillis is, thankfully, late as usual.

“She has a point,” Nikki adds, biting her eraser, and I shoot her an incredulous look.

“Well,” I say, turning back to Jayla, “you and Elissa were a total train wreck, and I still stood by you for all of it.”

“Elissa didn’t lie to me.”

“No, she just lied to everyone else about you, so she didn’t have to come out. And then you turned around and started seeing Emily even though you had to keep it a secret from your coach at first, so pot, meet kettle.”

“It’s not the same thing,” Jayla says.

“It’s exactly the same thing!”

“That’s actually also a good point,” Nikki chimes in again, and this time we both look at her. I would laugh if I wasn’t so ridiculously frustrated right now.

“Will you just trust me?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m worried. Your summer-program audition is at the end of the month, and you don’t even mention it anymore! You’re barely ever around, and when you are, it’s just been Ridley this and Bats that, and how perfect they are, and now we hate them, and now we like them again. It’s annoying! Are you doing anything besides worrying about this boy?”

“Okay, that’s probably the best point so far,” Nikki says. “You really don’t ever talk about music anymore.”